![]() |
St. Anne D'Auray 40-80 ft (12-21 m)
The St. Anne D'Auray was a 110-ft North Atlantic trawler that was sunk in March 1986. Many holes were cut in the bulkheads, so swimming down the passageway past the dining room and galley and into the engine room, before rising into the pilothoues, is an exciting dive. The main deck hatch leads divers through the refrigeration compartment bulkhead and out a hole in the bow of the St. Anne D'Auray. |
|
![]() |
Princess Britney 50-85 ft (15-26 m)
The Princess Britney was seized and sunk by US Customs for drug smuggling in April 2003. |
|
Proteus 50-70 ft (15-21 m)
The Proteus, a 220-ft steel freighter with its superstructure removed is spectacular due to its sheer size and huge propeller. Clean-up help was provided in association with NAUI prior to its sinking in July, 1985. Hurricane Andrew broke the Proteus in half so now the bow and stern face the same direction, with the mid-ship flattened and the bow on its side. Plenty of growth on the Proteus provides a habitat for fish, offering excellent photographic opportunities. |
||
![]() |
DEMA Trader 55-80 ft (20-26 m)
This 165-ft freighter, the latest addition to the Key Biscayne Artificial Reef Site, was placed in 85-ft of water in October 2003 when the Diving Equipment Marketing Association held its annual meeting in Miami Beach. Large openings were cut in the sides of the superstructure to allow penetration into the cabin. A concrete module was placed on her stern deck to provide additional habitat for marine life. |
|
May 10, 1988 was a wonderfully sunny, calm, quiet day which was interrupted at 11:03am by a thunderous explosion approximately 3½ miles East of Key Biscayne, Florida . Camera shutters from over 180 viewers immediately began clicking away as the news helicopter flew in for its shot. This was the final chapter for an old Haitian grain freighter which the Miami Bomb Squad helped to send to the bottom of the ocean. It took about two minutes for the Medor Herode, which had been renamed Tarpoon, in honor of Mike Kevorkian, to finally heave its last sigh and sink to the bottom in 71-ft of water. The 150-ft vessel became Miami 's newest artificial reef thanks to Robert 'RJ' Arnove. Placed in an artificial reef site near Key Biscayne, RJ took on the enormous task of finding a ship and raising the funds needed to sink it, in honor of Mike Kevorkian. Mike was the owner of Tarpoon Skin Diving Center in Hialeah from 1952 until his death in 1988. He was very well known and respected in diving circles, especially for his encouragement of young people to begin their exploration of the ocean world. A bronze memorial plaque was donated by Joyce Mavromatis honoring Mike, which was attached to the front of the pilot house. The Tarpoon was battered by currents from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It now lies battered and resting against a natural reef in 60-ft of water. It is a great site full of fish life with schools of grunts, yellow tail goatfish, black grouper, hogfish and Gray and Lane snapper. Goliath grouper are also resident. The Tarpoon is an excellent reef wreck combo site that is unique to South Florida Diving. |
||
Orion 70-95 ft (22-29 m)
The steel hulled tug boat Orion was sunk in 1981 as part of the artificial reef program. It's wheelhouse was removed by current from a hurricane and now lies over 50-ft from the hull. The Orion is often dived as there is a lot of coral and sponge growth providing a habitat for schools of fish. |
||
Sheri-Lyn 70-95 ft (22-29 m)
The Sheri-Lyn was a 265-ft steel freighter that was torn apart by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. It's bow section now lies 60-ft from the remainder of the wreck. The cargo area is immense and large through holes were cut through several bulkheads prior to sinking. The Sheri-Lyn is home to barracuda and Goliath Grouper, amongst others. |


